The Path Not Taken (Wayhaught)
by Codenamefinn
Summary: Wayhaught Fanfiction When Waverly Earp met Nicole Haught, she knew she was different. She was sweet, attentive, perceptive, and...beautiful. Nicole stirred something in Waverly, something she had never considered before their serendipitous encounter. In that moment everything changed for Waverly. But when faced with a choice between this beautiful stranger and the life she was com
1. Chapter 1

The Path not Taken

Prologue

Waverly really didn't want to go to another party. It wasn't her scene. At all. She'd much rather prefer to curl up on her couch with a copy of The Princess Bride, wrapped in a nice, warm blanket…or five…and sip on a steaming cup of hot chocolate. But, much to her dismay, she was expected to go. She had to go. Champ would not take no for an answer. Not that she would ever pose the question in the first place. He would never understand why someone would willingly forego a wild Purgatory beer fest in favor of a dull, solitary night at home. He was Champ Hardy, after all. The life of the party. And she was his girl. So she really had no choice in the matter. She would go to the party and she would do it while wearing her best "so happy to be here" smile.

"Ugh", Nicole sighed as she looked around this place that time seems to have passed by. She just wanted to come to Purgatory, this weird little town with it's even weirder rumors, and meet with the Sheriff.

She was halfway through her police academy training when she noticed an advertisement for a future opening with the Purgatory Sheriff's Department. Everyone told her she was crazy and maybe she was. After all, she was performing at the top of her class both academically and physically. Hell, if she was being honest, she ran circles around 90 percent of the guys in her class. Everyone told her she could land any big city job on any force in the area if that was what she wanted, but she shrugged them off. The truth of the matter was she didn't know what she wanted. Sure, big cities were exciting, but small towns weren't so bad. Sure, everyone knew everyone else's business and the most exciting Friday night activity was making sure the drunks made it home safely without taking out the only street sign in town, but they were charming, too. There was something to be said about knowing your neighbors. Knowing the history of the town and the people in it. Nicole never really imagined herself as a small town cop when she first began pursuing her dream, but then again, she didn't really give her ultimate location much thought at all. It was the career that excited her, not necessarily where she got to put her training to the test. The more she contemplated the charms of smaller cities, the more she convinced herself how nice it sounded. She thought maybe that's what she wanted.

So Nicole took the weekend, her first weekend off since she started the academy, and made the two-hour drive to Purgatory. Besides, in addition to all those small town niceties, this particular small town had something that set it apart from the rest. The lore of Wyatt Earp was just too appealing to Nicole…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Sheriff Nedley was a kind, warm man. Well, more like a giant, scruffy teddy bear, Nicole decided. Nicole surmised people likely took him for granted because he gave the impression he was old and tired. A washed-up sheriff who stayed too long after his prime. Nicole's instincts told her better, though. Nedley was sharp and still had some life left in him and Nicole wouldn't be surprised if he actually played up that stereotype just so people would underestimate him.

Nicole continued to mentally evaluate Nedley as they sat in his office talking, much like she was sure he was doing for her. They made small talk, discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly that was Purgatory. Even with everything he shared, Nicole got the sense he was holding something back, but it's not like she could accuse him of that or probe any further. This was a job interview, after all. Even when she attempted to broach the subject of the "rumors" surrounding the Ghost River Triangle in general and Purgatory, specifically, Nedley sidestepped them with ease. He even brushed it off as the "legend of Wyatt Earp", the town's most famous resident, and the fact that his descendants still played a prominent role in the town today.

Nicole looked at him skeptically, more skeptically than she intended to, and she could've sworn Nedley shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"You know what," Nedley said absentmindedly after a moment of awkward silence.

Nicole raised an eyebrow and allowed her lips to form a circle in preparation for a response, but Nedley continued on before she could get the words across her lips.

"It's my happy hour time. One thing I do not mess with is my routine."

Nicole smiled at the hard left he took in the conversation to change the subject away from the oddities of this town, and nodded. She liked Nedley, she decided. Even if he was hiding something. What's the worst that could happen, right? So maybe she'd get a little more big city excitement in this small town than she expected. That wouldn't be so bad…it would be more like the cherry on top of the sundae.

"Join me," he asked with sincerity and not out of some sense of obligation, pulling Nicole from her thoughts. "You should get a real taste of this town before you decide if you want to start settle down here."

Nicole thought about it briefly before standing up and smiling, hints of dimples forming in her cheeks, "You know what? You're right. Lead the way, Sheriff."

He stepped aside and allowed Nicole to exit his office first. Nedley casually trailed behind her, only pausing for a moment to grab his well-worn Stetson off the deer antlers hanging on the wall that doubled as a coat and hat rack.

The walk to Shorty's was brief, just a short stroll across the street, to be exact, but Nicole got the feeling she pretty much saw the entire town in those few moments. It was cute, quaint even, and had that old western feel. Almost like Wyatt Earp's legacy left it frozen in time. And the bar they stopped in front of, "Shorty's", was the picturesque saloon from that era, complete with old hitching posts for the four-legged transportation they used back then still standing out front. Nedley stopped short of the door and turned to look at the Nicole. The sun glinted off his face, calling attention to the flecks of grey in his over-sized mustache. A mischievous smile spread across his face accentuating the sun-kissed lines around his eyes.

"Ready?" he asked. And without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and stepped aside for Nicole to walk through.

She hesitated briefly, curious as to what would cause Nedley to smile like that, like he knew a secret that Nicole was going to be blindsided with at any moment. He raised his eyes in a silent question, as if to ask _Are you coming, or what?_ Nicole shrugged slightly and walked through the door, thinking to herself that whatever it was couldn't be that bad, could it?

Nedley led Nicole to a table in the back corner, set far away from the crowd as to not be noticed but not so secluded he couldn't see the entire bar from that vantage point. Typical cop spot, Nicole chuckled to herself. She gathered this was his usual table. They no sooner reached it and Nedley instructed her to make herself comfortable while he immediately headed up to the bar to grab two trays of food that were already waiting for him. He wasn't kidding about that routine. It must be his typical every day activity if his food was ready and waiting for him.

Nedley carefully placed the food trays on the table before emphatically dropping into his seat next to Nicole, complaining about his old joints and how he wasn't looking forward to the havoc the cold weather would wreak on. Without missing a beat, Nedley simultaneously demonstrated the popping of his elbow while sliding a basket of food across the table in her direction.

"I took the liberty of ordering something for you since I wasn't sure what you would want. I hope you don't mind. We can always get you something else whipped up in a jiffy if that doesn't work for you," Nedley offered.

But Nicole didn't hear him. She was transfixed by the most beautiful angel she had ever seen. An angel who's smile lit up the shadowy saloon as she engaged with their customers. Her long brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. Her t-shirt, with the word "Shorty's" emblazoned across the front of it, was tied in a knot just above her navel. The skin exposed just below that knot and the place where her high-waisted jeans began taunted Nicole.

Nedley got that mischievous smile again and gently elbowed Nicole in the ribs. "Hey, Earth to Haught!"

Nicole jumped. Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment that she was caught ogling, for lack of a better word, the prettiest girl in the bar while on what was essentially a job interview. She buried her face in her hands, hoping to collect herself. Inhaling deeply, she finally picked her head up and met Nedley's gaze. He wasn't mad, like she expected, or annoyed even. Instead he looked, was she reading him right? Amused?

"So, I see you've finally noticed our town sweetheart," Nedley goaded.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah," Nicole whispered, embarrassed again.

"That is none other than Miss Waverly Earp."

Nicole's ears perked up at the mention of that name, "Earp? As in _that_ Earp?"

"The one and only."

Nicole smiled again as Waverly's tiny frame emerged from behind a group of rowdy men congregating at the bar, perkier than she was five minutes ago…if that was even possible.

"Ahem," the booming throat clear let Nicole Nedley caught her. Again.

"Damn", Nicole said, exasperated. What was wrong with her? She was usually much more discreet than this. But there was something about this girl that fried her neurons!

"Listen", he continued, "I like you Haught. I think you'd be a good fit in my department if you'd want the job. I mean, I did fight to get the resources to create this position for you, after all."

Nicole's eyes widened at that last part. "Wha-"

"Look kid," Nedley cut her off, "you are smart, capable, and a superstar at the academy. People talk. We talk. I knew you'd be a great addition to my office and somehow I get the feeling you'd fit right in here." Nicole was blushing at the compliments being thrown her way. She never was very good at accepting praise. At accepting attention of any kind. It was her nature. "We'd be lucky to have you," Nedley finished.

A nervous smile crept across Nicole's lips as she caught one more glance of Waverly out of the corner of her eye, "I think I'd like that very much, Chief." She glanced in Waverly's direction as she said it, an action not lost on Nedley.

"Listen," he said subtly glancing in Waverly's direction, "if you might possibly become a local in this town, why don't you go out tonight and start meeting some people?"

"I thought that was the purpose of this little exercise," Nicole stated sarcastically.

"Ha, not so much. This little 'exercise' as you call it strictly served to get food in this big ol' belly of mine." Nedley exaggerated the girth of his mid-section, pushing it out with a big exhale while rubbing it gently. Nicole couldn't help but to chuckle. She really did like Nedley. "I've got a daughter around your age," he continued. "She's having a party at my house tonight. Nothing big or fancy, mind you. But pretty much anyone in this town who isn't in diapers or using a walker to get around will be there. Go. You never know who you might meet," he said nodding in the direction the vibrant brunette dancing around customers while balancing a tray full of food and drinks.

Nicole couldn't figure out if he did it subconsciously or if it was a deliberate action, but she got the gist. Waverly Earp was going to be at that party. Nicole gently bit her lip as she contemplated her response. "Well, I wasn't really planning on going out anywhere. And parties aren't really my thing." She caught sight of Waverly one last time and smirked, "But, what the hell, right?"

Nedley smiled, obviously pleased with himself. "Alright then, it's settled. I'll give you my address when we get back to the station and I'll let Chrissy…that's my daughter…know to expect you."


End file.
